Alpha Klaus Christmas (Xmas) Porter - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

kmpitz2

Tennessee

4.83/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I am a huge fan of this brew. I want to see how I compare to before. It pours an incredibly dark brown to black color with a small head that falls to a moderate broken head over top. The nose is divine. Brilliant hop aroma, along with a big chocolate and moderate coffee, but not bitter. Very well blended flavors on this beer as well. The hop is mostly aroma and flavor. Not a lot of bittering. I get a blast of chocolate and a nice hop flavor, but not bitter. Very very good. The feel is a light thick to heavy moderate with a light to moderate carbonation. This beer is awesome. Everything works so well together. I'll alwyas grab this beer when it comes out. So good.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2005 03:05:33 | More by kmpitz2

krisandajt

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I was hooked up with a couple of bottles of this tasty beverage courtesy of my mother in law. I shared this bottle with some friends of mine, and one of them decided to spill it all over my pants. I don't want to mention any names (ahem...number1bum). Hopefully the second time around I will get more in my mouth and less on my apparel...

Appearance: A straight, rough pour reveals a deep, dark, black colored brew with barely a centimeter worth of coffee colored creamy head. This beer appears lifeless in my Mad Elf glass, yet I know that tasty goodness awaits.

Smell: I will admit, since this is the second time I've enjoyed this brew I kinda know what to expect. The smell is a mix of chocolate and coffee with a nice hoppy, bitter bite to it. A hoppy porter indeed.

Taste: This is just a phenomenal tasting beer. A big hit of coffee and coffee with a pronounced hop presence throughout. It's the perfect blend of bitter and sweet. An interesting take on the style, it satisfies hop head in me while simultaneously quenching my sweet tooth.

Mouthfeel: A smooth texture, light on the carbonation, nice full body. Very well done.

Drinkability: Without a doubt one of the best porters I have ever had. There's a big hit of classic porter-quality chocolate and coffee with the delicious bitterness of IPA level hops. What more can you ask for? If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend you try this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2010 05:52:04 | More by krisandajt

LacquerHead

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Great porter. My favorite so far.

A: really dark brown, almost black with a roasted brown head.

T: At first some hoppy flavors showed up. But the malt quickly took over. It had roasted malt flavor that matched the smell. There was a presence of bitter chocolate. It also had a light coffee flavor.

I could drink this all night.

Overall: for me, this porter was perfect. Well rounded and very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 21:18:12 | More by LacquerHead

Shiredave

New York

4.8/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Dark chocolate brown, thick tan head, big aroma of chocolate and flowery hop w/ some smokiness in the back. Just lucious as it enters your mouth - not a big beer but huge on flavor and drinkability. Incredible blend of flavors in a medium bodied porter. Lingering hop bitterness remains after the hop and dark grain flavors fade. No specs on alcohol content from web site or distributor but my guess is around 6.5%/ Vol.
I am surprised my numbers came out so high but when I look back, I dont want to change a thing. I just took another sip.... IMHO its nearly as good as it gets.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2002 21:42:52 | More by Shiredave

waughbrew

Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Brownish-black, beige head lasts not too long, laces well. Piney citurs hop spice, huge chocolate, molasses, some tar, yeast. Spicy dark chocolate-covered orange rind. Smooth, carbonation bite melds into hop/roasted malt bite. Overall very nice and distinct, well-made, impressive.

Many thanks to cretemixer for the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2004 03:01:12 | More by waughbrew

Gavage

New Jersey

4.8/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: pours a dark brown / black color with a 2" head that lasts forever. Thick lacing paints the glass.

Smell: loads of chocolate, roasted malts, and huge hop bitterness. Pure pleasure for the nose.

Taste: roasted malts, brown sugar sweetness, rich dark chocolates, licorice, and a large but non-offensive bitterness. This beer just absolutely excites the tastebuds.

Mouthfeel: smooth from start to finish. Aftertaste is loaded with the great flavor profile and lasts quite a bit. Heavy in body.

Drinkability: this is simply a great beer. Alcohol is barely noticeable. One of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2006 23:54:13 | More by Gavage

WeisGuy

New York

4.8/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Big thanks to BeerBeing for hooking me up with this bottle.

a - pours deep black with a one-finger tan head, retention around the edges with good lacing

s - big bittersweet chocolate aroma with hints of citrusy hops, not much alcohol detectable in the nose

t - intense bittersweet chocolate up front, lots of burnt malt, coffee hints, body has some nice citrusy hoppiness in it, very different for a porter, but it's great in that it adds another dimension, really didn't pick up any alcohol, finish is a bit sweet and chocolatey

m - ample carbonation, creamy and full-bodied, coats mouth well, sweet finish, nice warming

d - very drinkable for a big porter, very complex taste that at the same time doesn't wear out the palate

Easily my favorite porter. FFF has a winner here. Much more complex and drinkable than most porters I've tried. Well worth seeking this one out.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2007 01:06:42 | More by WeisGuy

RustyDiamond

Georgia

4.8/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured very black into my Stone RIS stem. Blacker than any porter I've had to date. Super nice, fresh-looking head filled with glistening popping bubbles, off-white in color.
Wonderful aroma of piney hops, french roast coffee grinds with a mild whiff of smoke.
Cocoa on the first wave of taste, with a supple body of hops and delicious malt with a nice hoppy finish. As with most beers from 3F, no skimp on hop flavor. Absolutely delicious and very thankful to land a few bottles this year.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2008 23:11:00 | More by RustyDiamond

Indybeer

Indiana

4.78/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle. Poured a deep brown with reddish highlights, massive tan head that slowly receded, and lots of lacing on the glass. Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, and hops. Taste is more of the same, malty with chocolate and coffee hints. Just as with their Dreadnaught, 3F's know how to use just the right amount of hops to give it that distinctive flavor, without the harsh bitterness. This is one smooth drinking beer. I need to pick me up a few more of these!

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2003 20:02:42 | More by Indybeer

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.78/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Presentation: A mighty fine looking Bomber, just as the BA Database picture. Delivered into my hands at the hotel that I was staying at for the BA Extreme Weather and Beer Festival by fellow BA Quarre – what a star!

Appearance: A lovely tan brown head forms readily as the beer pours, its starts thin but immediately the beer is in the glass the foam forms from deep within the beer itself and expands upwards with a nitrogenous characteristic, but eventually settles to a thick uniform covering that is over ½” thick. Some lacing above the dark brown, almost black, body lends a very solid appearance.

Nose: Cocoa and rich chocolate, big and bold and just like the aromas you get when you open a box of hand made Belgium Dark Chocolates. In the back end there is a spicy and floral hop aroma that fills the glass together with some light roasted Coffee.

Taste: Wow. This is a bold synergistic mix of all the best characteristics of a modern day Porter with that of a nice well balanced IPA. Chocolate, coffee and hints of toffee, all juxta-posed with raw hops, pine needles, hop oils, and a thick tar like residue that turns bitter as it evaporates on the tongue after the swallow. Finishes with a dry powdery cocoa ending, which has a last gasp hop twist. Hey this is very good. Impressive. Lingers for a while with a dark bitter chocolate mouth.

Mouthfeel: Just perfect, the carbonation aids the well balanced body and the excellent flavor profile. Feels good.

Drinkability: This beer just glides down the gullet; it is so quaffable as to be unbelievable. Immensely drinkable and incredibly well-balanced.

Overall: This really is like a mix between an IPA and Porter, an India Porter Ale perhaps? It is difficult to find fault with this beer. Does that mean it is perfect, well, erm No. But it’s damn near close!

It says “It’s Not Normal” on the label, yep, that just about sums it up!

Highly Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2004 08:39:51 | More by TheLongBeachBum

MABZ

Nebraska

4.78/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Many thanks to BeerBeing for the trade. I missed getting a bottle by about 5 minutes last visit to Chicago, so I was relieved that I didn't have to wait another year or maybe more.

The beer pours to a pitch black color with a nice thick chocolate head that recedes to about a centimeter and sticks around for the rest of the drink. Leaves a nice yet spotty lacing.

The smell is great. Chocolatey as all hell with a nice hop background peeping through. A bit of coffee, but very mild roast.

The taste is equally great. Reminds me of Flying Dog's Gonzo Porter, but MUCH more smooth (not too syrupy). Very sweet up front and probably the best chocolate flavor I've had in a beer. Hops are noticable, but not overpowering and syrupy like the Gonzo. Very, very smooth. A little vanilla, and a gentle coffee roast.

The body is still fairly light. The finish is great. Lingering, gently bitter, doesn't dry out, and shows off the flavors in their entirety. This is very drinkable despite a fairly high ABV. Thanks again to BeerBeing.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2006 07:21:25 | More by MABZ

Toddv29424

District of Columbia

4.78/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Quite a beer. Pours a black-as-night color with a brown tint to the medium-sized head. Smell is close to non-existant, but is a bit like coffee and dark malts. The taste is huge. It seems monolithic at first sip, but as you continue down with the bottle you start to notice the subtle complexites that make it the BA 91 rated that it is. Whats nice about it is that nothing really jumps out at you. The taste of the dark malts is well apparent throughout. There is also a bitterness that is no doubt attributed to the hops, but its not overpowering. This is just an incredible beer, and something well worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2006 21:33:03 | More by Toddv29424

champagnelsc

Alabama

4.75/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another wonderful beer by the brewers at Three Floyds! They have really mastered the art of blending citrussy flavors with heavy hops.

This beer had a wonderful aroma that even my wife (who cannot stand beer) enjoyed.

The flavor was thouroughly enjoyable as well. What began as a pleasant citrus taste progressed into a wonderful porter, ending with just enough bitter at the roof of the mouth.

Drinkability? I wish I had a couple more!

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2006 07:57:40 | More by champagnelsc

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.75/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

"Hey porter! Hey porter!
What time did ya say?
How much longer will it be till I can
see the light of day?"

A: Dark black; cream/tan head, very little retention or lace.

S: Chocolate and molases with a pleasant hint of fruityness. Slightly bready.

T: Dark chocolate, VERY chocolatey, molases, bread/biscuit, slight nut & fruit, slight tartness in finish. Alcohol is subtle, but becomes more perceptible as it warms.

M: Moderate to full body is very creamy. Light to moderate carbonation; slightly chalky.

D: Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2006 00:22:34 | More by Derek

FirkinDave

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A perfect beer.

As a Three Floyds beer, I expected a great balanced mouth of hops, and it was delivered. What I wasn't ready for was the drinkablilty factor.

A touch of granny smith apple flavor, slight hint of caramel, overtaken by roasted coffee bean/ chocolate malt. Then the surpise.. The finish dropped off to a light dry hop which forced me to do the whole experience over.

Sampled at 40 degrees and 65 degrees, the more toward room temp it got, the bigger the greenapple carmel/coffee roast got. Soft light brown head, very dark in color, an exceptional beer. The porter base was well chosen.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2006 08:36:37 | More by FirkinDave

atrus138

Kentucky

4.75/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Had this on-tap. Dark, dark black color with hints of brown and orange. No head, but a little bit of thin froth floating around on top. Smell was intriguing. I was not expecting this strong of a hop presence in a porter. Chocolate, toffee, caramel, and coffee all made their expected appearances, but the hops caught me off guard. They were fresh and piny. Interesting. After tasting it, I was more than grateful for the strong hop presence. Added a very nice balance to the strong malt backbone. After the first sip, I could not help but immediately look at the drink in admiration. Medium bodied and extremely drinkable. I think I may have found a holiday tradition. A porter for hopheads.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2007 03:18:25 | More by atrus138

Boto

Connecticut

4.72/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz. bomber: Thank you for trades, or I would have never gotten this gem. It pours an inky dark brown color. There was some tan head, but it dies down quickly. A pleasant aroma. A mix of hops, roastiness, coffee, and some smokiness. The taste is an all-out assault on your taste buds (but a pleasant assault). Smokiness, some chocolate, some hop bitterness coming through (although it is sweet to the taste overall). This is just flat out excellent. Thanks to TAR for the trade!

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2004 17:52:38 | More by Boto

beveragecaptain

New Jersey

4.72/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle. Three Floyd's Alpha Klaus pours out a nearly, but not quite, black color with a creamy head. The aroma is very roasty, nutty, and hoppy. Incredibly, the hops go very well with the roastiness. The flavor is sweet at first with caramel and chocolate. Roasted flavors come in at the middle. The finish is bitter, with citrus hops. This beer is probably more hoppy than any porter I've had. Furthermore, the hop flavor melds with the roasty flavors to create a delicious whole. Mouthfeel is medium. A beer this tasty is almost drinkable by default. Great beer. I'm falling in love with this brewery, even as I despise it for the price of it's beer ($9 for this bomber).

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2005 02:50:53 | More by beveragecaptain

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.72/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appears thick on the pour the color absorbs all visible light on the spectrum, where'd you go Roy G. Biv ; color is dark chocolate hued letting just an inkling of light through when held to the light. It forms a huge tan head with even lacing spread around my pint glass. Aroma contains pine tree scented hops which absolutely rush the senses along with something that is very candy cane esque with a peppermint herbal character underneath the hop layer dark chocolate cake mix and strong imported coffee hibernate. Taste with a little age on this sampe hop bitterness is just beginning to tame a bit, what's left is the pine cone / herbal mix that screams Christmas time. Dark roasted malts add a layer of coffee edged bitterness and dark chocolate roasts bring powdered cake mix onto the flavor profile, hop burps ensue all is well. As more yeast is added from the bottle a bready tone joins in the complexity that really equates to the cohesiveness of this creation, wow I tried it last holdiay season and it's just perfect...pilgrimage to 3F's maybe soon. Mouthfeel is full bodied yet crisp and dangerously smooth I paid $7.99 for a bomber and I don't feel cheated at all one of the few higher priced beers that earns it's value has a velvety texture on the palate carbonation maybe a bit higher but after carrying the higher gravity of this brew it comes of smooth as can be. Drinkability, well this beer is an incredible experience this Limited Liability Corporation from Munster, IN continues to arouse the beer lover deep down in my soul, a treat that one should track down every winter, it's great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2006 16:58:11 | More by WVbeergeek

GbVDave

Illinois

4.72/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a Hommelbier tulip.

A: Jet black with a 1 finger head that vanishes. Minimal lacing. Minimal carbonation-very still.

S: Huge aromas of hops, roasted coffee and chocolate, and toasted malt.

T: This beer is such a rare balance of hops, bitter dark chocolate, coffee, malt, vanilla, and did I mention hops, coffee, and chocolate? No one flavor eclipses another one. Exceptional balance!

M: Due to it's minimal carbonation this beer has a smooth velvet-y mouthfeel.

D: Could drink this all day long.

I've had the good fortune to try this years batch on draft at FFF and in bottled form. I have to say i prefer the bottled version. In my opinion, at FFF, they serve this too cold with too much carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2006 20:09:35 | More by GbVDave

objectivemonkey

Minnesota

4.72/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Into an imperial pint glass, pours a near solid black, even when held right up to a lamp, with a creamy tan head, sticks around for a bit before receding to a film thin in the middle and thick at the edge. Some nice lacing forms with some sticking.

The aroma is full of chocolates (and cocoa as it warms), with traces of pine hop, coffee, and toasted malt. The body (and taste, for that matter) are much fuller than the nose, a big body with fine carbonation and a smooth texture, with little awareness of the alcohol besides a slight warming. The taste is the best, very well conceived and balanced, the chocolates, coffee and thick roasted malt just melt into the mouth as the pine and hop oils spritz across the tongue, and comes to a close with a dry, dark chocolate.

Let this one warm up to let it all out, its a delicious beer that only gets better as you drink it... how can it get any better than that!?

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2008 23:42:30 | More by objectivemonkey

seanpachefddfa

Maryland

4.72/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

poured- a dark black with a thick tan head. good amount of lace
smell- aroma includes coffee, chocolate, roasted malts and hops
taste- . very interesting for a porter chocolate, coffee,roasted malts some toffee and big hop flavors also
mouthfeel- good body and carbonation.
drinkability- another great beer by fff's. goes down way to easy for a 7.5%.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2008 05:30:49 | More by seanpachefddfa

beergeek279

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Served in the 22 oz. bomber into a dimple pint. The color is virtually black (I even used my cell phone to check ;) ) with a very good bubbly beige head. The beer smells like actual hop pellets which on another sniff has a strong porterish roastiness to it and just a touch of sweetness. The taste is about as hoppy as I'd expect from 3F, with a very strong high-alpha, citrusy hopping, and then once the initial hop wears off the actual porter flavor comes through, with a nice roastiness in the beer and a chocolate sweetness; the flavors meld together very well in some odd way. Mouthfeel is nice and creamy and chewy. As for drinkability, this would be one I'd love to have tons of come next winter!!

It's sure not normal...but it IS indeed tasty!! This has definitely catapulted up to amongst my favorite Christmas beers, and while it was slightly more hoppy when we had it in January, now it's mellowed out to a nice balance. As nice and piney a beer as I've had and one I will look for this holiday season.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2005 17:28:33 | More by beergeek279

cubedbee

Maryland

4.7/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bomber, no date, but I know it's 2005. Poured into an imperial pint, dark opaque black with a slight reddish hue, 3 fingers of light brown head, good retention, nice lacing. Smell is very very hoppy for a porter, somewhat piney, some nice dark chocolate and roasted coffee lingering. Taste is more of the same, a wonderful rich chocolate, roasted malt, espresso, all overlaid with a strong hop taste. Mouthfeel is full and rich and creamy. Very very nice porter, I love the hops, great seasonal.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2005 00:29:33 | More by cubedbee

Lnedrive14

Massachusetts

4.7/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Largest head I have ever seen on a beer - i think i filled about 1/8th the glass and it overflowed with head (and i poured slowly!). Head stayed forever - very fluffy so I just scooped some out. Beer looks thick, but is anything but - very light on the palate. Taste is amazing - dark dark belgian chocolate (like 75% cocoa or something) with a big hop sense as well. I really enjoy three floyds for the way they inject hops into different styles of beer while retaining the characteristics of the style. This is my favorite Three Floyds beer thus far.

N.B. Drink this one cold. Alcohol becomes overwhelming as it warms and overpowers some of the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2006 15:16:37 | More by Lnedrive14